Women's Hall Of Fame Conference

March 04, 1999|By CONNIE NEYER

The story of women's lives, largely ignored during the years when women lacked political power, is emerging from obscurity now with interest in women's studies.

The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, a nonprofit agency that annually selects prominent state women to join its ranks, is sponsoring its first conference Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Auerbach Science Center of Hartford College for Women. The participants will discuss the ways women's lives can be interpreted in regular museums.

Among the leaders and topics to be covered are: Professor Harvey Green of Northeastern University in Boston, ``The Ordinary is Not Obvious: The Meanings of Domestic Material Culture in 19th Century America; ``Interpreting the History of Women at Male-Focused Historic Sites,'' by Patricia West, a historic house consultant; and ``The Mystic Experience,'' by Ed Baker of the Mystic Seaport Museum.

The keynote address is ``Gender and the Courtroom: `Women in Connecticut's Public Spaces,'''' by Cornelia Dayton, history professor at the University of Connecticut.

Although women couldn't vote in the 19th century, they made their wishes known with thread boxes. In their thread boxes, they would post a picture of their favorite candidate, so their husband could see it -- as in this photo, where President Andrew Jackson, the only president to be censured, is displayed

The conference is free, but there will be a $12 charge for breakfast and lunch. For reservations, call Grace Mitchell, conference coordinator, at (860) 232-9770.